Disciple! Summer 2012

Reflecting the Character of Christ

Are You More Like Jesus Than You Were a Year Ago?

We Need More of Our Own People!

Growing in Kingdom Character: A Conversation with Author Tom Yeakley

a publication of SUMMER 2012

2 | d isciple! | sum mer 2012

hen you think

about what has

influenced your

spiritual growth,

what things top

the list?

A few years ago, spiritual formation was a hot

topic among followers of Jesus. The phrase refers—

at least in part—to the formation of the spirit, the

heart, the will, the emotions, and the intellect of a

believer. One of the driving forces behind this spiri-

tual formation is the practice of spiritual disciplines

such as prayer, meditation, Bible study, and fasting.

Dozens of wonderful books and Bible studies

have been written about spiritual formation. Doz-

ens more have been written about the spiritual

disciplines that contribute to that formation. For

me, however, there was something even more in-

fluential in the formation of my spiritual life: the

impact of individuals.

Some of my most formative years, spiritually,

were spent around The Navigators in college. As

you might expect, being involved in Navigator

ministry meant spending a lot of time in Bible

study, in cultivating a personal devotional life,

in prayer, in Scripture memory and meditation.

There were individuals that were really good at Bi-

ble study. Some were gifted at sharing the Gospel.

Others were prayer warriors. Some always gleaned

(and shared) deep thoughts from their daily devo-

tions. Naturally, there were those who memorized

and quoted Scripture fluently. No matter what the

spiritual discipline, someone did it well, and we

respected and admired that.

There was, however, a special group of individ-

uals that stood out. It wasn’t their mastery of the

disciplines that made them unique. It was some-

INDIVIDUAL

IMPACTthing about their character. We called them “god-

ly” men and women. What made them special was

that they reflected the character of Christ. When

you spent time with them, you had the sense

that Jesus had been there, too. They challenged

you without issuing challenges. They humbled

you without humiliating you. And when you left

them—yes, you wanted to be more like them—but

really you wanted to be more like Jesus. These in-

dividuals always made me think of the description

of a couple of the early disciples of Jesus:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John

and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary

men, they were astonished and they took note

that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13).

Peter and John had been with Jesus. They re-

flected His character. As followers of Jesus, we

want to live lives of influence. We want those with

whom we come into contact to know Jesus. We

want to influence those who know Him (includ-

ing ourselves) so that they become more like Him.

But it’s not our tools, our disciplines, or our com-

mitment that makes that happen. It’s being with

Jesus that makes it happen. And sometimes that

happens as we rub shoulders with others who have

been with Him and reflect His character. We hope

you enjoy rubbing shoulders with some individu-

als who reflect the character of Christ in this issue

of Disciple! D!

WDig Deeper at my.navigators.org/disciple

my. navigators .org/disciple | 3

eflecting the character of Jesus in a broken world is what being a disciple is all about.

When we’re overcome and harried by life, God often brings us to a point of reckoning. He doesn’t

want us to lead superficial, unexamined lives. He wants us to know ourselves honestly and realize that we are entirely depen-dent on Him every hour. It is so important for us to understand the final goal of our desire and yearning for God. As we pursue Him—even at our lowest moments—He is committed to growing each of us into a person who reflects His character.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were more interested in ritual than relationship. Their “spirituality” had little to do with knowing God and becoming like Him. Sadly, that tendency toward legalism and superficial piety remains a common sub-stitute for life-giving faith today. Jesus exposed the emptiness of religious rituals that were devoid of changed hearts and new lives. Jesus challenged His listeners and His disciples, saying, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Then He set the bar even higher commanding them, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Jesus has a clear agenda for the lives of His followers— radical transformation. He said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:9). Jesus wants our lives to be characterized by a deep longing for God and His powerful life-changing presence—something the Pharisees couldn’t even imagine.

Our longing for God finds its greatest satisfaction as we pur-sue Him in the Scriptures. The lifeblood of our relationship with God is prayerful communication with Him and faith in His prom-ises. God’s hope and longing for us is that we become more and more like Jesus. In His hands and by His Spirit we are trans-formed, we become useful to Him, we become world changers and world influencers, like Jesus.

Reflecting

the Character

of Jesus

Doug NuenkeU.S. President, The Navigators

FIELD NOTES“No, we need more of our own people!”

Navigators most often engage with

people who will never go on to join

Navigator staff. These people are Navi-

gators at heart—but they earn their

living doing something else. In some

cases, God has called these people to

other vocations. For others, a “con-

ventional” Navigator-style ministry

wouldn’t be effective in their environ-

ment. And in some cases, it simply

wouldn’t be allowed.

And yet, these people receive the

same personal instruction, attention,

and life-on-life training as those who

become staff members. We like to call

them “natural laborers.”

You can find an example of this at

a university in the Midwest where one

Navigator staff member invests his

life in students who will return to a

country where the Gospel cannot be

openly proclaimed. “David”* shared

the following story recently:

After reading Matthew 24 and dis-

cussing its implications with my friend, I

drew our attention to verse four. “There

will be deceivers,” I began, but before I

FIELD NOTESFOLLOWING JESUS IN TODAY’S WORLD

could finish my thought, my friend popped

his head out of his open Bible to interrupt:

“This fits my country now!”

A bit startled, I asked him for some

clarification.

“There is a cult in my country that

tricks people into following them and giv-

ing them all their possessions. They espe-

cially target college students because they

are just beginning to think for themselves,”

he explained. “And there are so many stu-

dents there,” he continued. “It reminds

me of that place in the Bible that says the

fields are white for harvest . . . ”

Then it struck me: my friend was

seeing the need for laborers in his home

country. When I suggested sending

more American missionaries to fill that

gap, he emphatically concluded, “No,

we need more of our own people!”

While this man may remain in

America for now, he is drawn toward

having a spiritual impact on future

generations in his home country. D!

* In order to protect the privacy and safety of the people with whom he works, we have not used his real name.

R

Adapted from Doug’s book, Making Waves. See more at my.navigators.org/make.

Join the conversation with Doug at blogs.navigators.org/DougNuenke/blogDig Deeper at my.navigators.org/disciple


ne early explorer to the North Pole,

who charted his journey hourly to

ensure that he stayed on course,

experienced a strange phenomenon.

His instruments indicated that

although he had been walking north,

he was actually farther south than

he had been an hour before.

By Dona ld S. Wh itney

OHe continued to get farther from the Pole. He discovered that

he had ventured onto an enormous iceberg that was drifting south as he was walking north.

There is a world of difference between activity and progress. The Christian life is meant to be one of growth and progress. We are even commanded in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” How can we know that we are growing in grace—that we are making real prog-ress and not merely deceiving ourselves with activity?

The following questions can help you discern whether you are maturing spiritually.

1. Are you more thirsty for God than ever before?The writer of Psalm 42:1 said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” Have you been thirst-ing for God like that? Is He your passion? If so, your soul-thirst is a sign of soul-growth.

Do you yearn to know Jesus Christ more intimately? In spite of all of his maturity in Christ, in spite of all he had seen

The Purpose of Money: Does Our Consumption Reflect Christ?

E a r l y i n m y

journey of learn-

ing about money, I

noticed a very odd

disconnect: On one

hand, there’s no short-

age of personal finance

information out there.

On the other hand,

lots of people struggle

with money.

Eventually I realized that knowl-

edge about money isn’t enough. We

need to fully understand the finan-

cial side of our identity in Christ

and the purpose of our lives.

Our culture calls us consum-

ers. To consume means to use up,

devour, or spend wastefully. How’s

that working out for us? Consumer

is more than a word; it’s a worldview.

If I’m a consumer, I am the most

important person in the world. Life

is all about me—my pleasure, my

comfort, my happiness. If I’m a con-

sumer, happiness is found in money

and stuff. And if I’m a consumer, life

is about competition. I’m happiest

when I have more than others have

and more than I had

before.

And yet, the Bible

says these are the

exact wrong priorities

for anyone seeking

a meaningful, pur-

poseful life. From a

financial perspective,

the Bible describes

us as stewards, or

managers. God has entrusted us

with His resources in order to fulfill

His purposes.

When Jesus was asked directly

what’s most important in life, He said

to love God. He then said our second

most important priority is to love oth-

ers. And the Bible says we’ve all been

given talents and passions in order to

make a difference with our lives.

Since those are the three over-

arching purposes of our life, they

are the three overarching purposes

of money. We are to use money to

love God, love others, and make our

unique contribution to the world.

If you were to honestly evaluate

your current use of money, how

well does it line up with these three

purposes? D!

Matt Bell is Associate Editor at Sound Mind Investing (www.SoundMindIn-vesting.com), the investment newslet-ter from a biblical perspective. He is also the author of three personal finance books published by NavPress. my.navigators.org/mattbell

We need to fully understand the

financial side of our identity in Christ.

FIELD NOTESFOLLOWING JESUSIN TODAY’S WORLD

bY mATT bELLA re YoU


and experienced, the apostle Paul declared late in life, “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10). Didn’t he already know Jesus better than most of us ever will? Of course he did. But the more he knew Jesus, the more he wanted to know Him.

2. Are you more loving?The mark of a Christian is love. “Dear friends,” urged the apostle John, “let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God” (1 John 4:7). If you are growing in love you are growing in grace.

Can you recall recent instances of Christlike love in your life? Have there been occasions when you’ve sacrificed your own preferences, plans, or rights for those of others? These are mileposts on the journey in grace.

3. Are you more sensitive to and aware of God?The grace of God causes us, who were once dead to God, to be “alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). One result of this new life is the glorious invasion of our souls by the Holy Spirit. His resident presence can give us a sense of being “alive to God” in daily life.

As you read this, you are bombarded by radio and television signals, cell phone con-versations, and satellite transmissions. You are entirely unaware of them, for you aren’t built to receive them. Once you are “alive to God,” the Spirit makes you alive to God’s presence every-where. Not that you are always sensitive to and aware of God, but if you find yourself noticing and often choosing to enjoy the Spirit’s prompt-ings, chances are you’re growing spiritually.

4. Are you governed more and more by God’s Word?Before we are made alive to God, we’re con-trolled mostly by what we want. But after we become alive to Him, we have a new desire to be governed b y His will. The true Christian has a new compulsion to do what God wants him to do.

A classic text on the sufficiency of Scrip-ture for the Christian is 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training are all growth-related words. When you are growing as a child of God, you can regularly point to how the Word of God has been teach-ing you, reproving you for sin, and showing you how to correct mistakes in your life. You can point to how the Bible has been training you to live in new ways God says are right.

Can you point to specific ways the Word of God has been doing this in your life during the past months? If so, you are growing in grace.

5. Are you concerned more and more with the physical and spiritual needs of others?In Luke 9:11 we read of Jesus encountering a crowd of people: “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.” This was typical of Jesus. He taught them God’s truth and often He would heal or feed them. He was concerned primarily with their spiritual needs but cared deeply about their physical needs, too.

T h A N YoU W ere A Y e A r Ago?The more we become like Jesus the more con-cerned we will be about the physical and spiritu-al needs of others.

Have you been dem-onstrating a concern for the physical and spir-itual needs of others through helping to provide for someone’s food, clothing, shelter, or health needs? Have you proven it through praying, giving, witnessing, or encouraging?

A sure sign of Christian growth is seeing needs you never saw before and beginning to meet them.

Growth in grace happens intentionally, not automatically. Like the explorer on the iceberg, you can drift away from spiritual progress, but you never drift forward. Without purpose and occasional evaluation, you’ll eventually find that, despite your activity, you’ve been carried away from Christlikeness.

The question isn’t how quickly are you grow-ing, but rather are you growing? Regardless of your maturity, what is past is past. You can start fresh today. D!

Adapted from 10 Questions To Ask To Make Sure You’re Still Growing, in Discipleship Journal, Jan.-Feb. 1997. Use by permission of NavPress.

DONALD WHITNEY

A re YoU

WANT TO exPAND YOur STuDY ON THiS TOPiC?

Download a Free CHAPTer from Donald Whitney’s Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health at my.navigators.org/donaldwhitney.


om Yeakley and his

wife, Dana, have

coached and devel-

oped emerging leaders

with The Navigators for

more than 30 years—both

in the United States and

internationally. Tom’s

book, Growing Kingdom

Character, addresses the critical

importance personal character

plays in the lives of leaders—

or any follower of Jesus. Tom

shared with us why character

is so crucial.

Disciple!: Why is character such a big issue for emerging leaders?

Tom: The felt need that emerging leaders have is for competency or skill development. They’re often asked to take on responsibilities that they haven’t had before (such as leading a Bible study). So they work on the skill. If they’re successful, they get more responsibility—and have to learn new skills. As their responsibility grows they influ-ence more people. But what’s interesting is that as leaders get older—and perhaps reach the pinnacle of their influence—what causes them to stumble are flaws in the character, not flaws in their skills. Leaders can pass on skills and delegate responsi-bilities to others. But you can’t delegate the devel-opment of your character to someone else.

D!: As you meet with emerging leaders, do you find that they have misconceptions about charac-ter development?

Tom: We make the assumption that as we get older we’ll also be wiser and somehow naturally be more like Jesus. But it doesn’t “just happen.” We have to be intentional about becoming more like Christ. Unfortunately, we’re really not very objec-tive about ourselves. That’s why we need mentors—people we can connect with at a heart level. And we need to give them permission to address not just our skills and knowledge but our character.

D!: It sounds like maybe you had some first-hand experience with that.

Tom: When Dana and I were in our 20s we approached a Navigator staff couple about meeting with us weekly—both individually and as a couple. It was a formational time with a very intentional focus on developing Christ-like character in our lives. The Bible study and Scripture memory we

engaged in were critical later when our character was tested. And the real test of character is what you do when you’re alone—when nobody is watching.

D!: There are certain character traits you focus on in your book. Why did you pick those?

Tom: The character traits in the book aren’t an all-inclusive list, but they help us know where to start. And some of these traits are absolutely essential. Love, for instance, is a character trait that separates Kingdom leaders from marketplace leaders. Integrity is proba-bly the number one trait that followers look for. And being a servant is another Kingdom characteristic Jesus talked a lot about. It’s so important because being a ser-vant leader is not just an activity—it’s an identity.

D!: Do you think there’s a “character crisis” in the Church today?

Tom: Sure, but the thing is, there always has been. It’s just that leaders today are much more on display. Character counts. It always has and always will. D!

TChArACTer

Developing Leadership that LastsMost leaders fail at the pinnacle of their influence, not because of a lack of leadership skills but because of character flaws. When it comes to leadership impact, it’s character that counts. Drawing on 30 years of personal discipling and mentoring, Tom Yeakley delivers teaching, application exercises,

and Bible studies on ten essential character qualities that make this handbook a must-have for anyone involved in shaping the lives of future Kingdom leaders.

Order Tom’s book, download a FREE chaptER, or check out The Nuts and Bolts of One-to-One Discipling at my.navigators.org/tomyeakley

g r o W I N g k I N g D o m


Resources for Today’s DiscipleWhen it comes to living out our faith, we all need a little extra help at times. Here are some resources to help you pursue a deeper walk with God.

If you’re looking for inspiration and insight into what it means to reflect the character of Jesus in your world, consider the following blogs:

Making Waves Doug Nuenke, U.S. president of The Navigators, shares his personal reflections on what it means to walk with God and help others do the same.

my.navigators.org/make

Downstream Barry Sneed, executive vice president of NavPress, offers his thoughts on disciple-making, life transformation, and environments of grace and trust.

http://blogs.navpress.com/barrysneed/My-Blog

The New Me VideosThese are powerful scriptural and visual montages about what it means to become more like Christ. The New Me videos invite you to bridge the gap between frustrating old feelings and emerging new realities of who Jesus is and who you are. Use them as personal meditation tools or to begin conversations about where you long for change and fresh tastes of God.

The New Me Part 1 my.navigators.org/newme

Experiencing God’s Attributes by Warren and Ruth MyersGain a better understanding of God by studying His attributes. This study provides 13 opportuni-ties for discovery.

my.navigators.org/ruthmyers

Becoming More Like Jesus by Michael M. SmithThis study will help you understand Jesus’ teach-ings on character and evaluate your life from that perspective. Explore love, humility, and integrity while learning to avoid negative character traits.

my.navigators.org/mikesmith

Revolution of Character by Dallas Willard with Don SimpsonIf we want our character to reflect Christ’s, we need to discover His pattern for spiritual transformation. Real change comes when we give our heart, mind, body, social life, and soul thoughtful and prayerful exposure to God’s transforming work.

my.navigators.org/dallaswillard

Christlike by Bill Hull The final court of whether or not you are becoming like Jesus is not attending another church program but how you act in daily life. Christlike helps you change your outward actions through inner spiritual growth and an uncomplicated obedience in your relationship with God.

my.navigators.org/billhull

Christlikeness by Jim WhiteThis small booklet has a huge impact. If you’re looking for a powerful, quick-to-read summary of what it means to reflect the character of Christ, this booklet—packed with real-life stories—is just what you need. And the small price makes it a great giveaway for members of your Sunday school class or small group study.

my.navigators.org/jimwhite

blogs

video

bible studiesbooks

booklets


G et toge the r w i t h like-minded people to pursue a deeper walk with God at Glen Eyrie conference center in Colorado Springs, Colo-rado. Here are just a few of the upcoming events.

closer: a Marriage prayer RetreatA married couple that regularly prays—both alone and together—is best positioned to have a deeply fulfilling and blessed marriage. This

SavE ThE DaTESupcoming navigator retreats and events

retreat is designed to help you grow in your prayer life.July 27-29, 2012October 26-28, 2012

Marriage GetawayDo you wish you had more time to focus on your relationships with God and with your spouse? Marriage Get-Away is the perfect romantic retreat.August 12-15, 2012 (Sun.–Wed.)September 13-16, 2012 (Thu.–Sun.)October 11-14, 2012 (Thu.–Sun.)November 8-11, 2012 (Thu.–Sun.)

Be part of reaching

millions with the Gospel—

right where you are!

Summit Worldview conferenceIn a world of constant crises and change, Christians must be able to explain how God’s word speaks to current ideas and issues. Equip yourself to engage successfully in this battle for hearts and minds at Summit Ministries’ Adult Worldview Conference. February 24-March 1, 2013

Copyright © 2012. Chief Development Officer: Jim Young; Editor: Mike Smith; art Director: Anne Meskey Elhajoui; Electronic production: Steve Learned; Memberships: Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies. The Navigators • P.O. Box 6000, Colorado Springs, CO 80934. www.navigators.org Feedback or Story Ideas? Email us at [email protected].

physicians’ Discipleship conferenceAs a doctor, the demands on your time are heavy and constant. This event is the perfect way to refocus your professional and personal lives by tapping into the peace and perseverance found through Jesus Christ.February 21-24, 2013

Join Greg Laurie and The Navigators for Harvest America, August 26, 2012

Earlier this year, NavPress, the publish-ing arm of the Navigators, announced that they would be creating an online study guide to accompany pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie’s book, Start! to Follow: How to Be a Successful Follower of Jesus Christ. The study guide will be used as follow-up material for Harvest

Crusade’s Harvest America event that kicks off this August and hopes to reach millions across America with the Gospel over the next three years.

A significant part of this endeavor depends on the sup-port and involvement of local churches across the coun-try. Currently more than 600 churches have committed to participate in the efforts to reach millions of Americans over the next 1,000 days.

NavPress is pleased to continue promoting this event while developing the study guide that will be a key com-ponent of helping those who come to faith in Christ as a result of this event become established as disciples of Christ.

As both an evangelist and a pastor, Greg Laurie has voiced his commitment

to see individuals come for-ward to follow Christ and to continue on, growing in spir-itual maturity. That’s why, Laurie says, “I’m so excited to partner with an organiza-tion such as The Navigators that understands the impor-tance of evangelism and discipleship.” D!

For more information, please call Glen Eyrie Conference Center toll-free at 1-877-488-8787 or visit www.gleneyrie.org.

To try out the new study guide, download a FREE SaMpLE at my.navigators.org/starttofollow. If you or your local church would like to participate in this important event, visit www.harvestamerica.com for more information.

Disciple! Summer 2012

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Transcript of Disciple! Summer 2012